Sign



F. D COURTENAY SIGN Filed Nov. 20. 1930 Fashions for Fa ll smartly Tailored Silk Blou sie s INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 4, 1932 1 ,UNiTE s'r earn;

4 FREDERIG D. COURTENAY, OFSHORT HILLS, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO EMBOSOGFAF I, CORPORATION OF AMERICA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SIGN Application filed November 20, 1930. Serial No. 496,352.

This invention relates more particularly to portable sign-supporting stands of the type employed in stores for supporting display cards upon counters or in show windows to advertise merchandise.

' Important objects ofv the invention, are, to

provide such a sign support of generally improved design; to provide such a support embodying animproved card frame designed to frame the cards more neatly and attractively and at the same time render them easily insertable and removable; to provide an improved frame designed to removably support and frame a plurality of legend-bearing card sections orpanels disposed in edge to edge relation and to accommodate panels varying in size; and to provide such a frame designed to neatlyand completely frame all of the card sections orpanels, render them readily insertable and removable and securely hold them against accidental displace.- ment. 'Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a face view of my improved display card stand;

Fig. 2 a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, upon a larger scale;

Fig. 3 a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; 1

Fig. 4: a detail sectional perspective view of one of the frame division bars and its mounting; V

Fig. 5 a detail perspective view ofan upper corner of the frame showing the attachment of the topbar of the frame;

Fig. 6 a view similar to Fig.5 with the top bar of the frame removed; and

Fig. 7 a perspective view of one end of the top bar of the frame inverted.

The sign structure includes a substantially U-shaped open frame 1 preferably rigid and formed of metal. It may be either cast or formed of an elongated bar bent into a U- shape to form the vertical side bars-2 and the bottom bar 3 joined to the side bars by roimded corners. In v the present 1 instance said bars have. a substantially hexagonal cross-section to give the frame an ornamental appearance. A pedestal supports the frame elevated and comprises a standard 4. detachably mounted upon a base 5 and connected at its upper end to the frame through the medium of an ornamental union block 6. The latter is formed with a threaded-socket at its under side and the upper'end .of the standard is reduced and threaded and is screwed into said socket. At its upper side the block 6 is formed with a groove or cleft 7 snugly receiving the central portion of the lower bar of the frame, conforming in. cross section'thereto, and. rigidly secured by welding or otherwise to the bar.

A groove or channel 8 is formed inthe frame, extends continuously around theinner sides thereof and opens through the upper free ends of the side bars. This groove receives the edges of a plurality of display cards or panels 9 and retains said panels in place within the frame. In the present instance there are six panels arranged in three pairs, the panels in each pair being of the same size and disposed back to back, to face in op posite directions. Extending horizontally across the fra-me'are' two metal frame division bars 10 each'channeled or grooved along-its upper and lower sides as at 11 and having reduced ends forming tongues 12 which extend into the frame groove 8 at opposite sides of the frame and retain the bars for shifting up and down in the frame. These bars divide the frame into three compartments in each of which a pair of the panels 9 is confined and retained wit-h the panel edges fitting in the framegroove 8 and in the divisionbar grooves 11. A metal top frame bar 13 closes the U- shaped frame and is channeled or grooved as at 1% to receive the edges of the uppermost panels and complete the compartment therefor. WVhile in the present instance there are a pair of panels in each compartment of the frame it will be understood that there may be only one. I lfhe side walls of the various grooves diverge slightly to facilitate the insertion of the panels and still make a snug fit with the panel edges at the bottoms of the grooves. I l

The upper frame bar 13 has fiat, reduced ends 15 which rest upon the upper ends of the side frame bars Zand 3, and snap fastening means are provided to releasably hold the bar in place. Said means include a pair of balllike projections 16 formed upon or rigidly fixed to the upper ends of the frame side bars and formed with necks. Apertures 17 slightly smaller than said projections are formed in the ends 15 of the bar, and the bar has longitudinal slits 18 extending inward from its ends and across said apertures to render the ends resiliently expansible so that the projections 16 may be snapped through-- the apertures to lock the bar in place; 'The ends of the bar project beyond the frame for grasping to forcibly detach the bar. ably the bar has a polygonal cross section in harmony with the body of the frame, and formed upon or secured to its upper side is a plate-like extension 19 forming an ornamental trimming for the top of the sign and serving tobeara sign legend if desired.

In assembling the sign the lowermost panels are inserted through the top of the frame and slid to the bottom of the frame. One of the division bars 10 is next inserted into the top of the frame and slid down to rest upon the inserted lower-panels. The intermediate panels are next inserted intothe top of the frame and dropped or slid down to rest upon the inserted division bar and the other division bar is inserted and dropped down to rest upon the intermediate panels.-

There is preferably free play of the tongues 12 of the division bars in the frame groove 8 so that the bars shift freely into and out of place. The uppermost panels are inserted to rest upon the upper division bar and, finally, the upper frame bar 1.3 is snapped into position. All of the parts are then held firmly and closely assembled.

In assembled condition all of the cards or panels are completely framed by the U- shaped frame and the bars 10'andl3, and the panel edges are all'covered and concealed so that the sign presents a neat, finished appearance. At the same timeany orall of the panels are rigidly removed by merely detaching the-top frame bar and withdrawing the panels through the top of theframe. Each panel bears one or more advertising legends and the combined legends of the different panels combine to compose a com,

plete advertisement. Then it is required to change any one of the legends relating say to the price, the article on-sale, a descriptive legend, or the date of a sale, etc. the panel or panels bearing the legend are withdrawn through the top of the frame and replaced by a panel bearingthe changed legend. The panels bearing legends which do not require changing'are retained in the panel set up. The vertical shiftability of the division bars 10 enables panels of varying depths m be mounted in the frame, it being only required that the total height of the panels remain the same. When, for example any one of the 1 panels is required to hear more advertlslng Prefermatter, said panel may be made of greater depth while one or more of the other panels bearing the. advertisement are correspondingly reduced in depth. This is a very advantageous feature as it adapts the frame to many different services requiring advertising set-ups of different character.

It has been the custom to prepare display cards hearing all the legends of an advertisement, and when a change is made in the day, monthor season of the sale, in the article on sale, in the price, or in the descriptive matter of the advertisement, the cards are usually thrown away as it is unlikely that the precise combination of advertising matter thereon will ever been needed again. Often the cards are of an ornamental character, with attractively executed lettering, and they are'expensive to produce. In large department stores the scrapping and replacement of such cards often entails an expense of thousands of dollars annually. The present invention provides for convenient and attractive mounting of advertising cards in sectional form with each card section bearing a legend, which may be removed from the advertisement when a change is required without scrapping the entire card. The removed sections may be kept for future use since a card bearing a single legend is more likely to be usable repeatedly than a card bearing a complete advertising set-up. Even if removed'card sections are scrapped, however, it will be obvious that the waste and advertising expense are greatly reduced. The card supporting frameis designed to frame the card sections so as to give the sign a linished appearance and render it suitable for high grade advertising use.

' What I claim is: I

' 1. A sign structure comprising a substantially U-shaped'frame open at both faces and inwardly channeled along its inner sides around the U to the free ends thereof a frame bar extending crosswise of the frame, channeled along its upper and lower sides and having its ends extending into the channel of the frame and mounting the bar for shifting up'and down in the frame and for removal through the top of the frame, the frame and bar channels being engageable by the edges of sign' panels to hold the latter one above the other in substantially the same plane within the frame; a top frame bar closing the frame, channeled along its under side for receiving the upper edge of a sign panel in the frame; and locking projections upon the upper ends ofthe U-shaped frame, the top frame bar having sockets in releasable, snap locking engagement with said projections and having'its ends extend-ing outward beyond the opposite sides of the frame for grasping to detach the 'bar.

2. A sign structure comprising a substantially U-shaped frame open at both faces and inwardly channeled along its inner sides around the U to the upper free ends thereof to engage the edges of a sign panel and support it in the frame; a top frame bar closing said frame and channeled along its under side to receive the upper edge of a sign panel in the frame; and locking projections upon the upper ends of the U-shaped frame, the top frame bar having sockets in releasable snap locking engagement with said projections and having its ends extending outward beyond the opposite sides of thevframe for grasping to detach the bar, and the bar being slit from said ends longitudinally inward to said sockets to render the latter expansible to accommodate the locking projections.

3. A sign structure comprising a substantially U-shaped frame open at both faces and inwardly channeled along its inner sides around the U to the upper free ends thereof to engage the edges of a sign panel and support it in the frame; a top frame bar closing said frame; and ball and socket fastening elements between the upper ends of the U-shaped frame and said bar to detachably hold the latter in place, said bar overlying and closing the upper ends of the frame channel and having its ends extending outward beyond the sides of the frame for grasping to detach the bar.

4. A sign structure comprising a substantially U-shaped frame open at both faces and inwardly channeled along its inner sides round the U to the upper free ends thereof; a frame bar extending crosswise of the frame, channeled along its upper and lower sides and having its ends extending into the channel of the frame and mounting the bar for shifting up and down in the frame and for removal through the top of the frame, the frame and bar channels being engageable by the edges of the sign panels to hold the latter one above the other in substantially the same plane within the frame; a top frame bar closing the frame, channeled along its under side for receiving the upper edge of a sign panel in the frame; and releasable snap locking connections between the upper ends of the U-shaped frame and said top bar to detachably hold said bar in place, said locking connections being releasable by an upward pull upon the top bar.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

FREDERIC D. COURTENAY. 

